Biking in the Florida Keys

Biking in the Keys is especially fun on stretches where you don’t have to worry about riding next to traffic.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

A stand sells coconuts along a quieter section of the Overseas Heritage Trail in the Florida Keys.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

Cyclist-friendly Baby’s Coffee at Mile Marker 15 in Key West is an ideal spot to get caffeinated before the final push to the end. Staff members are happy to fill up your water bottle with ice too. Also recommended: a slice of chocolate-covered Key lime pie.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

After two days of biking, Lori Rackl and her husband reach Mile Marker 0 in Key West. The sign also marks the southern end of U.S. Highway 1, which begins more than 2,300 miles away in Maine.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

Cailin Reckwerdt of Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada feeds tarpon. The marina is at Mile Marker 77.5.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

A boat carrying Cuban refugees is on display at Veterans Memorial Park, a scenic rest spot that’s a nice place to catch your breath after crossing Seven Mile Bridge.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

At Bahia Honda State Park, a defunct section of a bridge originally built for Henry Flagler’s Key West extension of the Florida East Coast Railway still stands a century later.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

Dollar bills drip from the ceiling and cover the walls at No Name Pub in Big Pine Key, a good place to seek out for pizza, conch fritters and the chance to spot endangered Key deer.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

Cyclists on a trip organized by Pedal Across Wisconsin arrive at the Southernmost Point monument as the sun starts to set in Key West.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

Mile Marker 100 is in Key Largo on the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, which officially starts at Mile Marker 106 and goes all the way down to Mile Marker 0 in Key West.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

Midway Cafe in Islamorada is a great place to grab a snack — and delicious Key lime pie — while biking in the Keys.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)

A hurricane memorial in Islamorada is dedicated to the hundreds of people who lost their lives during a ferocious storm on Labor Day 1935. Wind speeds surpassed 200 mph.  (Lori Rackl / Chicago Tribune)